Bill Text: MS HB1296 | 2026 | Regular Session | Engrossed
Bill Title: Amniotic fluid embolism; direct Health Dept. to conduct educational activities for providers and patients about signs, symptoms and management of.
Sponsorship: Partisan Bill (Republican 1)
Status: (Failed) 2026-03-03 - Died In Committee [HB1296 Detail]
Download: Mississippi-2026-HB1296-Engrossed.html
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE
2026 Regular Session
To: Public Health and Human Services
By: Representative Owen
House Bill 1296
(As Passed the House)
AN ACT TO DIRECT THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO CONDUCT EDUCATIONAL ACTIVITIES FOR HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS, PATIENTS AND THE PUBLIC ON THE SIGNS, SYMPTOMS AND MANAGEMENT OF AMNIOTIC FLUID EMBOLISM; TO PROVIDE THAT THE DEPARTMENT SHALL MAKE AVAILABLE INFORMATION ABOUT AMNIOTIC FLUID EMBOLISM ON THE DEPARTMENT'S WEBSITE; TO REQUIRE THAT DATA AND STATISTICS RELATED TO AMNIOTIC FLUID EMBOLISM BE REPORTED TO THE CHILD DEATH REVIEW PANEL AND MATERNAL MORTALITY REVIEW COMMITTEE; TO PROVIDE FOR A SELF MEASUREMENT BLOOD PRESSURE MONITORING PILOT PROGRAM FOR PREGNANT WOMEN; TO AMEND SECTION 73-25-14, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO REQUIRE CONTINUING MEDICAL EDUCATION RELATING TO NUTRITION AND METABOLIC HEALTH FOR RENEWAL OF PHYSICIANS' LICENSES; TO REQUIRE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH, IN COLLABORATION WITH THE DIVISION OF MEDICAID, TO CONDUCT A STUDY ON CERTIFICATION OF DOULAS; TO REQUIRE THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH TO CONDUCT A PUBLIC AWARENESS CAMPAIGN TO INCREASE THE UNDERSTANDING OF FATHERHOOD ENGAGEMENT IN IMPROVING OVERALL HEALTH OUTCOMES DURING PREGNANCY, CHILDBIRTH AND POSTPARTUM FOR BOTH THE MOTHER AND BABY; AND FOR RELATED PURPOSES.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI:
SECTION 1. (1) This section shall be known as "Maeghan's Law."
(2) Notwithstanding any general or specific laws to the contrary, it is the intent of the Legislature for the State of Mississippi to improve maternal and infant health outcomes and reduce the rates of maternal and infant mortalities throughout the state.
(3) As used in this section, "amniotic fluid embolism" means a rare obstetric emergency in which amniotic fluid, fetal cells, hair or other debris enters the maternal bloodstream leading to cardiovascular collapse, respiratory failure, and disseminated intravascular coagulation.
(4) The State Department of Health shall conduct educational activities for health care providers, patients and the public on the signs, symptoms and management of amniotic fluid embolism.
(5) The department shall make available information about amniotic fluid embolism on the department's website.
(6) The department shall provide data and statistics regarding cases of amniotic fluid embolisms, both fatal and nonfatal to the Child Death Review Panel established in Section 41-111-1 and the Maternal Mortality Review Committee established in Section 41-112-1 for the purposes of fulfilling annual reporting required by Section 41-3-15(1)(c)(viii).
SECTION 2. (1) As used in this section, the following words and phrases shall be defined as provided in this subsection unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
(a) "Enrollee" means an individual determined as having a high-risk pregnancy by a qualified health care provider.
(b) "Postpartum" means within one (1) year of delivery or the end of pregnancy.
(2) Blood pressure monitoring for pregnant and postpartum women. Subject to available funding, including, but not limited to, real or in-kind contributions from public and private sources, or funds from the Rural Health Transformation Fund, Public Law No. 119-21, the State Department of Health may establish or assist with the establishment of a pilot program to provide coverage and reimbursement for self measurement blood pressure monitoring services for pregnant women and postpartum enrollees. Self measurement blood pressure monitoring services shall include:
(a) Validated blood pressure monitoring devices, such as a blood pressure cuff and replacement cuffs, as medically necessary, to diagnose or treat hypertension; and
(b) Patient education and training on the setup and use of a self measurement blood pressure measurement device that is
(3) The pilot program may provide coverage for medically necessary home blood pressure monitors that have been validated for clinical accuracy for pregnant or postpartum enrollees not more frequently than once every two (2) years.
SECTION 3. Section 73-25-14, Mississippi Code of 1972, is amended as follows:
73-25-14. (1) Except as provided in Section 33-1-39, the license of every person licensed to practice medicine or osteopathy in the State of Mississippi shall be renewed annually.
On or before May 1 of each year, the State Board of Medical Licensure shall mail a notice of renewal of license to every physician or osteopath to whom a license was issued or renewed during the current licensing year. The notice shall provide instructions for obtaining and submitting applications for renewal. The State Board of Medical Licensure is authorized to make applications for renewal available via electronic means. The applicant shall obtain and complete the application and submit it to the board in the manner prescribed by the board in the notice before June 30 with the renewal fee of an amount established by the board, but not to exceed Three Hundred Dollars ($300.00), a portion of which fee shall be used to support a program to aid impaired physicians and osteopaths. The payment of the annual license renewal fee shall be optional with all physicians over the age of seventy (70) years. Upon receipt of the application and fee, the board shall verify the accuracy of the application and issue to applicant a certificate of renewal for the ensuing year, beginning July 1 and expiring June 30 of the succeeding calendar year. That renewal shall render the holder thereof a legal practitioner as stated on the renewal form.
(2) License renewal shall require the completion of one (1) hour of continuing medical education related to nutrition and metabolic health, as determined by the State Board of Medical Licensure, and an acknowledgement of receipt of the most recent informational and statistical reports pertaining to the impacts of nutrition and metabolic health on maternal and infant mortality and public health outcomes in the State of Mississippi.
( * * *3) Any physician or osteopath
practicing in Mississippi who allows his or her license to lapse by failing to
renew the license as provided in subsection (1) may be reinstated by the board
on satisfactory explanation for the failure to renew, by completion of a
reinstatement form, and upon payment of the renewal fee for the current year,
and shall be assessed a fine of Twenty-five Dollars ($25.00) plus an additional
fine of Five Dollars ($5.00) for each month thereafter that the license renewal
remains delinquent.
( * * *4) Any physician or osteopath not
practicing in Mississippi who allows his or her license to lapse by failing to
renew the license as provided in subsection (1) may be reinstated by the board
on satisfactory explanation for the failure to renew, by completion of a
reinstatement form and upon payment of the arrearages for the previous five (5)
years and the renewal fee for the current year.
( * * *5) Any physician or osteopath who
allows his or her license to lapse shall be notified by the board within
thirty (30) days of that lapse.
( * * *6) Any person practicing as a licensed
physician or osteopath during the time his or her license has lapsed shall be
considered an illegal practitioner and shall be subject to penalties provided
for violation of the Medical Practice Act, if he or she had not submitted the
required reinstatement form and fee within fifteen (15) days after notification
by the board of the lapse.
( * * *7) Any physician or osteopath
practicing in the State of Mississippi whose license has lapsed and is deemed
an illegal practitioner under subsection ( * * *6) of this section may petition the
board for reinstatement of his or her license on a retroactive basis, if the
physician or osteopath was unable to meet the June 30 deadline due to
extraordinary or other legitimate reasons, and retroactive reinstatement of
licensure shall be granted or may be denied by the board only for good cause.
Failure to advise the board of change of address shall not be considered a
basis of reinstatement.
( * * *8) None of the fees or fines provided
for in this section shall be applicable to the renewal of a special volunteer
medical license authorized under Section 73-25-18.
( * * *9) Fees collected under the provisions
of this section shall be used by the board to defray expenses of administering
the licensure provisions of the Medical Practice Act (Title 73, Chapter 25,
Mississippi Code of 1972) and to support a program to aid impaired physicians
and osteopaths in an amount determined by the board.
( * * *10) In order for a physician or
osteopath whose medical license has been expired for five (5) years or more to
qualify for reinstatement of license, the physician or osteopath must have
successfully been cleared for reinstatement through an investigation that shall
consist of a determination as to good moral character and verification that the
prospective licensee is not guilty of or in violation of any statutory ground
for denial of licensure as set forth in Sections 73-25-29 and 73-25-83. To
assist the board in conducting its licensure investigation, all applicants
shall undergo a fingerprint-based criminal history records check of the
Mississippi central criminal database and the Federal Bureau of Investigation
criminal history database. Each applicant shall submit a full set of the
applicant's fingerprints in a form and manner prescribed by the board, which
shall be forwarded to the Mississippi Department of Public Safety (department)
and the Federal Bureau of Investigation Identification Division for this
purpose.
Any and all state or national criminal history records information obtained by the board that is not already a matter of public record shall be deemed nonpublic and confidential information restricted to the exclusive use of the board, its members, officers, investigators, agents and attorneys in evaluating the applicant's eligibility or disqualification for licensure, and shall be exempt from the Mississippi Public Records Act of 1983. Except when introduced into evidence in a hearing before the board to determine licensure, no such information or records related thereto shall, except with the written consent of the applicant or by order of a court of competent jurisdiction, be released or otherwise disclosed by the board to any other person or agency.
The board shall provide to the department the fingerprints of the applicant, any additional information that may be required by the department, and a form signed by the applicant consenting to the check of the criminal records and to the use of the fingerprints and other identifying information required by the state or national repositories.
The board shall charge and collect from the applicant, in addition to all other applicable fees and costs, such amount as may be incurred by the board in requesting and obtaining state and national criminal history records information on the applicant.
SECTION 4. Doula certification. (1) The State Department of Health, in collaboration with the Division of Medicaid, shall conduct a study on certification of doulas that meet the requirements in subsection (2) of this section, including, but not limited to, establishment of a Mississippi-specific doula training program, doula registry and reimbursement models for doula services, including Medicaid coverage. The department shall provide a report on the study, including its recommendations for legislation, not later than December 31, 2026.
(2) To be certified as a doula, a person must have:
(a) Received a certification to perform doula services from the Childbirth Education Association, the Doulas of North America (DONA), the Association of Labor Assistants and Childbirth Educators (ALACE), Birthworks International, the Childbirth and Postpartum Professional Association (CAPPA), Childbirth International, the International Center for Traditional Childbearing, or Commonsense Childbirth, Inc.; or
(b) Demonstrated:
(i) An understanding of basic anatomy and physiology as related to pregnancy, the childbearing process, breastfeeding or chestfeeding, and the postpartum period;
(ii) The capacity to employ different strategies for providing emotional support, education, and resources during the perinatal period;
(iii) Knowledge of and the ability to assist families with using a wide variety of nonclinical labor coping and physical comfort strategies;
(iv) An awareness of strategies to foster effective communication between clients, their families, support services, and healthcare providers; and
(v) Knowledge of community based, publicly funded and federally funded, and clinical resources available to the client for any need outside the doula's scope of practice;
(3) As used in this section, "doula services" means services that provide continuous emotional and physical support throughout labor and birth, and intermittently during the prenatal and postpartum periods.
SECTION 5. Sections 5 through 8 of this act shall be known and may be cited as the "Fatherhood Engagement in Maternal Health Act."
SECTION 6. Declaration of purpose. The Legislature finds and declares as follows:
(a) Fatherhood engagement can play an important role in improving maternal health care, addressing maternal mortality and morbidity and bettering the development and long-term growth of a child.
(b) The participation of the father during prenatal care appointments can provide the mother with additional support to recognize potential pregnancy-related complications that could lead to maternal mortality and morbidity.
(c) Fatherhood engagement can reduce the risks of postpartum mood and anxiety disorders and contributes to a lower likelihood of a preterm birth and a higher likelihood of a healthier birth weight.
(d) Active support of the father during breastfeeding can increase the chances of successful breastfeeding, which improves the physical and mental health of the baby and the mother.
(e) Physical contact between the father and the baby just after birth and in the months following birth has been shown to improve the health and development of the baby, improve the mental health of the father and foster father-child bonding in the short term and long term.
SECTION 7. Public awareness campaign on fatherhood engagement in maternal health. (1) Duties. Subject to funding being available, no later than July 1, 2028, the State Department of Health shall conduct a public awareness campaign to increase the understanding of fatherhood engagement in improving overall health outcomes during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum for both the mother and baby.
(2) Contents. The department shall ensure that the public awareness campaign under subsection (1) of this section includes the following:
(a) Messaging intended to provide information to the public about the importance of a father's role in pregnancy and parenting.
(b) Resources and information that promote awareness about the impact of father inclusion on maternal and infant outcomes.
SECTION 8. Guidance to maternal care providers on encouraging fatherhood engagement in maternal health. (1) Duties of department. No later than July 1, 2027, the department shall post materials on the department's publicly accessible Internet website that address how a provider of maternity care, including a hospital, health care facility, birth center, or health care practitioner can provide training and education to a health care practitioner about the benefits of fatherhood engagement in improving overall health outcomes during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum for both the mother and baby.
(2) Screening for paternal depression. The department shall encourage and promote the inclusion of paternal depression screening by providers of maternity care as part of care provided during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum for both the mother and baby.
SECTION 9. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after July 1, 2026.
